Megaman Battle Network: The Golden Bird
by Daidairo
Summary: The Golden Bird... My best friend from another school suggested it, it's her favourite story! I wrote this whole thing based on the book I borrowed from her! Enjoy!


This was requested by my best friend in another school... I hope to do this well for her.  
  
............................................................................................................................................................  
  
Megaman Battle Network: The Golden Bird  
  
Once upon a time, the powerful King Yuuichiro Hikari had, among many other amazing treasures, a wonderful tree in his garden that bore beautiful golden apples all the year round. But the king was never able to enjoy these fruits, for anyone might watch and guard them, yet as soon as they begin to ripen they were stolen. Finally, he sent for his three young sons. The eldest was called Dex, the second Gutsman and the youngest, Lan. The boy was much loved by his parents, being jolly, happy-go-lucky and righteous, causing his brothers to be bitterly jealous.  
  
"Dex, Gutsman, I want you to go through the world until you find out who is it that steals my golden apples, and if possible, bring the thief to me so that I might punish him as he deserves." Yuuichiro commanded.  
  
The princes were delighted to hear this proposal, as they had long wished to see the world, so Dex got ready for their journey and bid the king goodbye.  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
Dex went down the road until he came to an inn. The owner of the inn was a pretty young lady by the name of Miss Yuri.  
  
"Come on in!" She invited. Unable to resist, Dex joined the crowd in the inn and made merry for days. He soon gambled away all that he had on him, and was made to stay and work away his debts.  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
When Dex did not return, the king sent Gutsman off to search for the thief and his brother. Gutsman followed the same route and soon found the inn, where the pretty Miss Yuri also bade him to stay. He was soon working in the kitchen with his brother.  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
When a few months had passed, Lan begged his father to allow him to go.  
  
"No, son!" Yuuichiro exclaimed. "Who knows what might happen to you in the world out there!"  
  
"I've already lost my first and second children, I don't want to lose you too!" Queen Haruka pleaded.  
  
"But they're my brothers, I have to search for them!" Lan never really liked them for teasing him. This was just an excuse.  
  
Finally, Yuuichiro agreed to let Lan try. Filled with happiness, Lan rode off.  
  
He went by a different way from his brothers and soon entered a forest. On the trees, instead of fruits, were glimmering gems. Lan had not traveled for long before he came to a pretty snow-white rabbit. Its eyes were blue instead of the usual red, and had black tips on its ears like a hare. Lan stared, openmouthed.  
  
"What?" The rabbit said, glaring back.  
  
"Um... Nothing, except that I've never met a talking rabbit with blue eyes," Lan said, grinning.  
  
"Duh. I'm special," the rabbit said arrogantly.  
  
"You know, rabbits don't have such big egos either," Lan pointed out. "Anyway, since you're here, can you tell me what is this place?"  
  
"Study your geography, kid," the rabbit sighed. "This is the Forest of Jewels, belonging to King Iceman who lives behind the forest. I'm Chaud, I live in this forest, if you haven't figured that out."  
  
"Whatever!" Chaud's attitude was starting to irritate Lan. Riding after the rabbit, Lan explained about the apples.  
  
"Well, Hikari, count yourself lucky. King Iceman keeps a beautiful golden bird, and that is culprit behind the thefts. It flies so swiftly that it is impossible to catch it red handed," Chaud said, bounding swiftly on.  
  
"But how do I get it?" Lan asked as they exited the forest and came to a large golden castle.  
  
"Different kinds of birds are kept in the barn behind the castle. The golden bird is in a wooden cage, and beside it is a golden cage. Do NOT, repeat do NOT put the bird into the golden cage. Sneak in tonight and the guards will be sleeping." Chaud said.  
  
So that night, Lan crept into the barn and found many rare and exotic species of birds roosting in the barn. The barn was also filled with sleeping guards. Right in the middle of the barn was the golden bird. It lit up the whole place with a soft golden light from its shiny feathers as it slept in a small wooden cage. Lan was enchanted as he picked up the cage, then saw the golden cage beside.  
  
"It looks unconscious, maybe it will revive if I put in the gold cage." Without caring about Chaud's warning Lan opened the door of the wooden cage. As soon as the pretty bird touched the golden cage it woke. Throwing back its head, it started to sing in a lovely fluting voice. The guards woke up and threw him into prison, saying that the king Iceman would deal with him the following day.  
  
............................................................................................................................................................  
  
When Lan saw the King Iceman, he was amazed to see that it was a young boy wrapped in a blue coat.  
  
"How could you?? This is totally inacceptable to Roll!! Thefts will never work especially when you try to steal a bird like Roll!" Iceman squealed.  
  
"Ummm... Yeah, but hey, I really need the bird... Roll? The golden bird has a name?" Lan looked surprised.  
  
"Yeah, and her singing rocks!" Iceman smiled happily. "If you really want Roll, I guess you could try bringing me the Golden Unicorn from the neighbouring town."  
  
"Okay. Thanks..." Lan sighed and exited.  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
Outside, Chaud was waiting for him.  
  
"... You failed." Chaud said.  
  
"How come you know?" Lan said gloomily.  
  
"Because you're empty handed and you stayed overnight yesterday," Chaud replied.  
  
"Right, and now I gotta find a horse..." Lan told his sad story. Chaud laughed.  
  
"Simple enough. The Golden Unicorn, Protoman, is my best friend... I mean, he follows me." Chaud said.  
  
"Great, let's go!" They went off and soon reached a silver castle.  
  
"Protoman stays in the stable behind there. Sneak in at night and lead him out. As soon as he sees you tell him that you know me, and he'll follow you out quietly. But beware, do not, repeat, do NOT let yourself or the horse touch the walls of the stable," Chaud ordered.  
  
Lan did as he was told. Protoman, a tall, golden stallion with red socks and a white mane and tail followed Lan like a lamb. As careful as Lan was, a fly stung Protoman and made it flick its tail. It hit the wall and immediately all the guards awoke. They seized Lan and dragged him into the dungeons.  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
The next day, Lan was taken to see King Tohru. Like Iceman, he was just a young teen.  
  
"Actually, I'd love to let you have Protoman," Tohru admitted. "I mean, he throws everyone who tries to ride him and eats only food of the best quality, and has a very arrogant temper. In short, he's wasting my time. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that my little sister Mari admires its ability and beauty, I'd have sold the Golden Unicorn to anyone who would have it."  
  
"But I need him!" Lan pleaded. "Without it I won't be able to..."  
  
"You could try persuading my sister to forget the unicorn," Tohru suggested. "Mari's childhood playmate, the Golden Fairy, left one day to return to her Sky Kingdom. Find her and bring her here, and maybe I can let you have the steed."  
  
"Oh darn... Another quest..." Lan groaned.  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
Lan left the silver castle and saw Chaud waiting impatiently for him.  
  
"I see you failed. AGAIN. What did you do this time?"  
  
"What makes you think it was me?" Lan cried indignantly.  
  
"The only other reason would be because Protoman refused to follow you," Chaud said. "He's not that disobedient."  
  
"Right. Fine, it's all my fault!" Lan yelled, sitting down on a rock. He sighed.  
  
"Okay. Protoman foiled the plan. What do you have to do now?" Chaud asked patiently. Lan explained everything.  
  
"I see... Well, come on! Do you want to complete your mission or not?" Chaud demanded, bounding off. Lan hurriedly raced after him.  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
They soon came to a large meadow with large pink clouds above. There was only one small cottage in the meadow, and next to it was a pretty ship with wings. Chaud popped into the cottage. In it was a young man wearing a green hat. His hair was orange and his eyes brownish-magenta. He was staring at a map.  
  
"Oi, Searchman!" Chaud said. "Can I borrow your airship?"  
  
Searchman looked up. "Oh, hi, Chaud. Go ahead. I'm not using it anyway." He turned back to having a staring competition with the map.  
  
Chaud beckoned Lan onto the winged ship. It was filled with lovely silks and jewellery and many other things a girl would squeal over.  
  
"Listen, Hikari. This ship will fly up to those pink clouds. When we rise above it, it will just stay on it like a normal ship does on water. Pretty soon the Golden Fairy will appear. Don't follow her when she calls you. Just say 'The buyer comes to the seller, not the seller to the buyer' and then steer the ship down. The fairy will follow you, as she won't be able to take her eyes off these wares." Chaud said.  
  
Obediently Lan steered the ship up unto the clouds, where it rested neatly upon the sea of pink fluffy marshmellow-like clouds. Soon, two figures appeared. One was a young girl with golden red hair and brown eyes, and the other was a man with green hair and blue eyes.  
  
"What are you doing in the Sky Kingdom?" He asked sternly. The girl interrupted.  
  
"Oh!! Laika! Look at that stuff in his ship!" she cried excitedly. Laika stared at her crossly.  
  
"Mayl, you ALREADY have a lot of those useless things!" he said.  
  
"Oh, you just don't know how to pamper your sister. Come here!" Mayl said.  
  
Remembering Chaud's words, Lan shook his head, smiling at the really pretty girl. "The buyer comes to the seller not the seller to the buyer," he said, then turned the ship and moved off.  
  
"Wait!" Mayl ran after him, treading lightly on the clouds.  
  
"Mayl! Don't..." Laika watched speechlessly as his sister spread wings as fine as gossamer and flew through the clouds after the merchant.  
  
When the ship landed on the ground, Lan turned and saw Mayl soaring gracefully down.  
  
"What's your name?" She asked as she examined the beautiful wares on the ship.  
  
"I'm Lan Hikari, prince of the Electopian Kingdom. Do you remember a girl called Mari?"  
  
"Miss Mari was my best friend." Mayl sighed wistfully. "If it weren't for Laika, I wouldn't have parted with her."  
  
"Right. So now you're coming with me to her country," Lan said.  
  
"Who are you to order me about?" Mayl asked, cocking an eyebrow. "And why should I do that?"  
  
"Tohru wants you to help her forget a certain bad tempered unicorn," Lan said. "And you're the only one who can do that, so let's go!"  
  
Chaud appeared, sighing.  
  
"Hikari, you've got to be nice to a girl to ask for her help!" He said. "You won't be able to do anything by being nasty!"  
  
"Huh? Chaud? Really?" Lan looked clueless.  
  
"What a dope!" Chaud shook his head.  
  
"Yeah, you're a meanie!" Mayl said disapprovingly. "Chaud, on the other hand, is very nice!"  
  
Lan pouted, feeling a pang of jealousy from the bottom of his heart.  
  
"So, Golden Fairy, will you come with us to find your friend?" Chaud asked.  
  
"Sure!" Mayl said, smiling. "As long as HE apologises."  
  
"Fine. I'm REALLY sorry for what I said, would you please forget all that and come with us? I promise I'll be reaaaaally polite and nice!" Lan said, groaning inwardly at all the sweetness. Chaud grinned. Mayl smiled sweetly.  
  
"Of course!"  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
"You're back!" Mari cried happily, hugging the golden fairy.  
  
"Hi Mari. Will you please allow your brother to send away the unicorn?" Mayl asked.  
  
"Of course! I don't want him anymore!" Mari said, smiling.  
  
Lan and Tohru sweatdropped.  
  
"Well, I reckon you can get the Golden Unicorn now..." Tohru said. "He's still in the same stable..."  
  
So Lan and Chaud proceeded to the stable. Protoman neighed when it saw the snow bunny hopping in.  
  
"Hey, Protoman. Long time no see."  
  
"You really know this guy, don't you?" Lan asked. Chaud did not answer. He just hopped out with Protoman. "Hey, what's with that attitude?"  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
"You got him!!" Iceman shrieked at the Golden Unicorn.  
  
"Yeah, so can I have the Golden Bird now?" Lan asked.  
  
"Um... I guess it's a bit hard to have to part with her..." Iceman sighed, then waved his chubby hand. The Golden Bird was brought in in a golden cage. "I'm going to miss you, Roll..."  
  
The bird trilled. Iceman handed the cage to Mayl, who started to coo at the glowing animal.  
  
"Well, see you someday, Iceman!" Lan said, grinning. They left for home.  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
"Since you've succeeded in your quest, I see no reason to remain here. So maybe we shall meet again." Chaud said before he bounded off.  
  
"Strange guy," Mayl said, staring after him.  
  
"Yeah," Lan sighed. "But he really helped out, huh?"  
  
They soon reached an inn and decided to rest there. To accompany Roll, Lan bought a silvery blue phoenix, Megaman, from one of the customers of the inn. While Mayl watched the two birds play, Lan was amazed to see Gutsman and Dex cleaning the floors. When the two princes heard his story, they were so overcome with jealousy that they devised an evil plan. While Lan was asleep that night, Gutsman and Dex sneaked into his room and covered him with Paralyze Powder. In the morning, the two princes took the Golden Unicorn and Bird, and threatened the Golden Fairy with death if she dared to tell anyone about the truth. Filled with sadness as she saw the lousy behaviour of the princes, Mayl realised how nice Lan actually was.  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
The next day, two young men arrived at the inn. One had dark blue hair and green eyes, and wore an ultramarine cloak. He looked almost exactly like Lan. The other had startlingly blue eyes and his hair was black and white. Both of them frowned at the sight of the snoozing Lan. The latter sprinkled Heal Poweder over the prince, who stirred and opened his eyes.  
  
"Wak! Who're you?" He yelped.  
  
"Wake up, man, you've been fooled." The man said in a famillar voice. Lan's jaw dropped.  
  
"CHAUD??! And you're... wait a minute... You look like..."  
  
"Hi, Lan. I'm your twin brother, Hub. You've probably never heard of me. I was sent to study in Netopia when we were young," the blue haired man said.  
  
"My... TWIN? Wait, what's all this about?" Lan asked, confused.  
  
"I was sent to study with Princess Serenade, in Netopia, because I showed great promise as a kid. Dr. Wily, an evil sorcerer of Netopia, kidnapped me to work for him. Chaud here was turned into a rabbit by him, and according to Serenade, a Seer, the only way to defeat Dr. Wily is to have Chaud help you through your adventures. For some reason, yeah, I know this sounds stupid." Hub explained.  
  
"When I left you I went back to Netopia and found Dr. Wily dead. So I took Hub here to find you, because Serenade said your troubles weren't over." Chaud said. "You see, your other two brothers paralyzed you and kidnapped your Golden Possessions."  
  
"Dex and Gutsman??!" Lan shook his head in disbelief.  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
In the Electopian Kingdom, everyone had heard the news. The king's sons had returned with the thief of the king's apples: A golden bird. They also had with them a fairy and an unicorn. The king could not bear to kill the bird; after all it just liked the taste. However the Golden Bird would not sing, and everyday drooped its head and talked softly to its mate (!!); a blue phoenix. The horse would not eat and always sulked in a corner, while the girl just kept silent and sobbed all day, even when the Prince Dex declared that he was taking her for a bride.  
  
One day, three men rode into the kingdom. One with blue eyes rode on a grey horse with a red mane and tail, calling it Alpha. One that looked really like the Prince Lan rode on a greyish purple horse which answered to the name Gospel. And the last one: wait, that's Prince Lan! He rode on a green horse with high yellow socks.  
  
"Let's go, LifeVirus!" They entered the palace.  
  
"LAN! You're back!" King Yuuichiro exclaimed.  
  
"Hey dad!" Lan smiled grimly, staring at the horror on his brothers' face. Queen Haruka hugged her son, then gaped.  
  
"Hub? Is... Is it really you?"  
  
Chaud explained everything yet again.  
  
"You're a liar!" Dex yelled.  
  
"You've got no proof!" Gutsman cried.  
  
"Right." Lan walked into the Great Hall. Roll and Megaman, perched upon the chandelier there, spotted him and their eyes brightened. They carolled loudly. Protoman, also in the hall, galloped over to Chaud. And Mayl, who was crying by the window, rushed straight to Lan and hugged him tightly.  
  
"See, they know us!" Lan said, blushing as he tried to get Mayl to release him.  
  
"Dex! Gutsman!" Yuuichiro looked horrified.  
  
"Sorry... I guess..." Gutsman looked ashamed of himself.  
  
"Yeah... We didn't really mean to..." Dex mumbled. He kept staring at Mayl, who was still holding Lan tightly.  
  
"It's okay. You're forgiven!" Lan smiled happily. "Aren't they?"  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
Dex and Gutsman repented and turned over new leaves. On the day Roll laid her eggs, Mayl and Lan got married, much to Dex's dismay. Chaud and Protoman returned to Netopia where Chaud took up his job as knight, serving Princess Serenade. (No, they didn't get married, Serenade was going out with Swapopolis' king, Bass) So everyone lived happily ever after.  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
Whew... Finally finished. I was working like crazy to complete this one, as I kept changing my mind about characters, and re-editing and so on... Gah. I hope you guys enjoy this one.  
  
I'm editing this as I made a mistake with the names, and I also want to say, I KNOW that this is different from the original story of the Golden Bird. Actually, this was taken off another story called the Golden Mermaid, but because the storyline was similar to the Golden Bird, and the Golden Mermaid sounds stupid, I decided to change it. Plus, I don't like the idea of poor Gutsy and Dex dying, even though they're not my favourite characters it's still cruel. Lan is freaking kind in the game/anime, I expect him to forgive and forget. Oh, and I also don't like the idea of Chaud turning into silk merchandise etc., so I changed it. The Netopia storyline was also an addition, I wanted to try and put in ALL main characters if possible. 


End file.
